Feel free to not read this lengthy excerpt from John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier speech. I was reminded of it as I watched the film, and make reference to it in my reflection.
Today some would say that those struggles are all over – that all the horizons have been explored – that all the battles have been won – that there is no longer an American frontier. But I trust that no one in this vast assemblage will agree with those sentiments. For the problems are not all solved and the battlers are not all won – and we stand today on the edge of a New Frontier – the frontier of the 1960's – a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils – a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats. Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom promised our nation a new political and economic framework. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal promised security and succor to those in need. But the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises, it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. It appeals to their pride, not to their pocketbook – it holds out the promise of more sacrifice instead of more security. But I tell you the New Frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. Beyond that frontier are the uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus. It would be easier to shrink back from that frontier, to look to the safe mediocrity of the past, to be lulled by good intentions and high rhetoric – and those who prefer that course should not cast their votes for me regardless of party. But I believe the times demand new invention, innovation, imagination, decision. I am asking each of you to be pioneers on that New Frontier. My call is to the young in heart, regardless of age – to all who respond to the Scriptural call: “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.” -John F. Kennedy The New Frontier is truly an idea that will endeavor forever on into humanity’s future. What was true in the 1960’s still is today, and likely will remain true unto infinity. We are now faced with several choices, some of which we do not look forward to, but may eventually end up being easier than others. Perhaps the easiest choice is the most hated: to be lazy, or not to be lazy. The death of the automobile, the mall megaplex, the manufactured plastic toy is inevitably at hand. We will find that the question of laziness will be the easiest because it will be made for us. Other questions with less definite answers will be found in the realms of culture, art, and societal progress. Already long hours spent watching television, playing video games, attending musical concerts, and enjoying social functions such as dances are becoming guilty pleasures. While some may shrug off the idea of giving up movies or television as a form of entertainment, I find that it is an integral part of our culture and an art form that would be a tragic loss should it be one of the many things we shall need to cast off in order to save our lives. Not only that, but will not some of our sacrifice directly impact our ability to make our lives and the lives of others better? What will become of the macbook I use to type this reflection up? Humanity will ultimately need to decide how best to make a balance between stability and progress. These are all questions that the film brings up quite well. However, if I were to identify an issue I had with it, it would spring from Kennedy’s New Frontier. Diamond’s book, “How Societies Fail and Sometimes Succeed,” is not very aptly titled, for while it is easy for us to determine when a society has fallen apart and, “failed,” determining when exactly a society has succeeded may be impossible. For the movie presents our present crisis as the last in a long line. We will either triumph or fail, failure leading to absolute ruin, and triumph leading to high and never ending uplands. However, Kennedy tells us that there is neither a final problem nor a final solution. The strength of our society will be tried and tested well past this crisis should we succeed at this juncture. Thus, it may be hard to call our society a success when it is inevitably doomed to fail. I do, however, recognize the moral value in choosing not to address this problem at the present time. After delivering an hour and a half long list of looming threats attacking our society, it is not surprising that the makers of this film should wish to hide from the viewer that, should we triumph, only more challenges yet await.
Today some would say that those struggles are all over – that all the horizons have been explored – that all the battles have been won – that there is no longer an American frontier.
But I trust that no one in this vast assemblage will agree with those sentiments. For the problems are not all solved and the battlers are not all won – and we stand today on the edge of a New Frontier – the frontier of the 1960's – a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils – a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats.
Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom promised our nation a new political and economic framework. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal promised security and succor to those in need. But the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises, it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. It appeals to their pride, not to their pocketbook – it holds out the promise of more sacrifice instead of more security.
But I tell you the New Frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. Beyond that frontier are the uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus. It would be easier to shrink back from that frontier, to look to the safe mediocrity of the past, to be lulled by good intentions and high rhetoric – and those who prefer that course should not cast their votes for me regardless of party.
But I believe the times demand new invention, innovation, imagination, decision. I am asking each of you to be pioneers on that New Frontier. My call is to the young in heart, regardless of age – to all who respond to the Scriptural call: “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.”
-John F. Kennedy
The New Frontier is truly an idea that will endeavor forever on into humanity’s future. What was true in the 1960’s still is today, and likely will remain true unto infinity. We are now faced with several choices, some of which we do not look forward to, but may eventually end up being easier than others. Perhaps the easiest choice is the most hated: to be lazy, or not to be lazy. The death of the automobile, the mall megaplex, the manufactured plastic toy is inevitably at hand. We will find that the question of laziness will be the easiest because it will be made for us. Other questions with less definite answers will be found in the realms of culture, art, and societal progress. Already long hours spent watching television, playing video games, attending musical concerts, and enjoying social functions such as dances are becoming guilty pleasures. While some may shrug off the idea of giving up movies or television as a form of entertainment, I find that it is an integral part of our culture and an art form that would be a tragic loss should it be one of the many things we shall need to cast off in order to save our lives. Not only that, but will not some of our sacrifice directly impact our ability to make our lives and the lives of others better? What will become of the macbook I use to type this reflection up? Humanity will ultimately need to decide how best to make a balance between stability and progress. These are all questions that the film brings up quite well.
However, if I were to identify an issue I had with it, it would spring from Kennedy’s New Frontier. Diamond’s book, “How Societies Fail and Sometimes Succeed,” is not very aptly titled, for while it is easy for us to determine when a society has fallen apart and, “failed,” determining when exactly a society has succeeded may be impossible. For the movie presents our present crisis as the last in a long line. We will either triumph or fail, failure leading to absolute ruin, and triumph leading to high and never ending uplands. However, Kennedy tells us that there is neither a final problem nor a final solution. The strength of our society will be tried and tested well past this crisis should we succeed at this juncture. Thus, it may be hard to call our society a success when it is inevitably doomed to fail. I do, however, recognize the moral value in choosing not to address this problem at the present time. After delivering an hour and a half long list of looming threats attacking our society, it is not surprising that the makers of this film should wish to hide from the viewer that, should we triumph, only more challenges yet await.